Small 4to. ff. (4), 16, (6) [blanks]. Bound in contemporary limp vellum, remnants of ties. Manuscript on paper in a calligraphic hand, mostly in Italian, prayers and bishop’s approbation in Latin. Four devotional engravings pasted on preliminary leaves: ‘S. Maria Maior’ by Karel van Mallery, ‘S. Carolus Borrome’ S.R.E.C.’, the crucifixion by Hieronymus Wierix, and one engraving with scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary, arranged in the shape of a cross. Title within hand-drawn decorative frame and with cut out engraving depicting the instruments of the Passion within cartouche. Last leaf with approbation dated 9 April 1614, signed by Clemente Gera, Bishop of Terni, including his paper and wax seal. Manuscript detailing the rules of a religious congregation of lay women in the Umbrian city of Terni of which no other testimonies appear to have survived. The manuscript shows that the congregation, devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, consisted of a group of lay women of various social backgrounds. Some congregants were illiterate, reflected by the use of often simple and direct language. The women usually lived in their own homes, but met in a communal house and shared their possessions. Despite the name of ‘Zitelle’ or unmarried woman, the congregation appears to have been open to both married and unmarried women. The second chapter even specifically states that the vow of chastity is optional, but, if taken, should be strictly respected. Although similar in name to the ‘Casa delle Zitelle’ in Venice, an institution founded and run by a group of wealthy women in 1559 to care for poor, beautiful young girls who were at risk of becoming prostitutes, the purpose of the Zitelle of Terni seems to have been purely devotional, as well as to offer mutual assistance. The present document is likely the original foundation act of the congregation, suggested by the approbation of Bishop Gera at the end. Clemente Gera (d. 1643) was appointed as Bishop of Terni on 13 November 1613. The date of this document as well as the presence of an engraving depicting Saint Charles Borromeo could indicate that the congregation was created by Bishop Gera himself. Even before his canonization in 1610, Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) was celebrated as if he were a saint in Lombardy and Piedmont, and it is not unlikely that Gera, a native of Novara in Piedmont, might have shown a deep devotion toward him. The lack of any further documentation suggests that the congregation was short-lived, perhaps due to the transfer of Bishop Gera to Lodi in 1625. Divided into 25 chapters, the text covers, among others, obedience to the head of the congregation, the ‘Preposita’; chastity; poverty; mental and vocal prayers; the Liturgy of the Hours; the study of Christian doctrine; confession and communion; listening to the homily; the living of a retired life; the examination of the conscience; fasting; daily mass attending; work and reading; silence; sick visits; praying for dead sisters; the admission of new sisters; the admission ceremony and prayers; the duties of the Preposita and her deputy; the election of the Preposita; election ceremonies; faults, trials and the possible deposition of the Preposita. Karel van Mallery (1571-1635?), the artist of the first engraving in the manuscript, and whose work consists mainly of Christian religious representations and portraits, worked on various projects for the Plantin Press in Antwerp, often in collaboration with the Wierix brothers. This includes Hieronymus Wierix (1553-1619), the maker of another of the engravings in this manuscript. None of the engravings pasted in the manuscript have printed text on the verso, suggesting that they were printed individually as devotional images or as plates in one of the many religious publications issued by the Plantin Press.

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